what is the law that requires parents to send their children to school?

[luvpinkhayley]

??

[Answerprancer]

There isn't one.

[Mosaic]

Last answer should not be relied on in court!
Try http://en.wikipedia.o.../Education_in_England - the legal point is that your children must be educated - whether in school or at home is up to you.
You will receive visits from local authoirty personnel sometimes if you home-educate - but you do not actually have to produce the children during these visits.

[Mosaic]

Since this was posted in history, FYI the first time education was made compulsory in England was 1870, the Foster Education Act.

[Answerprancer]

"Last answer should not be relied on in court!"
There was no mention of home schooling in the question.
I took the question literally, as in sending a child to a school (as opposed to home educating).

[ABerrant]

...and in Scotland there is actually no legislation obliging the LEA to monitor home-schooling, although they are permitted to do so informally.

[nextqueen]

so if you homeschool, do you have to follow certain criteria or are there general targets children should reach ie a 5 year old should be able to read and write to a certain level? i would like to see these levels if so as thinking of studying child developmemt.

[ABerrant]

http://www.education-...al/SummLawEng&Wls.htm

[Mosaic]

Answerprancer - puts me in mind of a school incident, many years past.
Little girl comes into school and says a man said nasty things to her and asked her to get in his car. I report double quick to head. head phones police and gets little girl in office. Asks what colour the car was - 'red' - asks child 'is there a man in a red car outside now' - child replies affirmative - police arrive mob-handed and arrest the driver.
He's hauled inside by plod -'is this the man?' - No. Embarrassment all round.
'That isn't his car. You only asked if there was a red car - it's not THAT red car.'

This story is actually true.
My experience tells me that sometimes you need to ask and answer around an issue.So if you tell someone their child doesn't have to attend school, they might read that simplistically in such a way that they end up in bother that they wouldn't have chosen if they had a glimpse of the big picture..

[cathfromsaron]

obviously you must receive an education! but you don't need to go to "a school" to get it! there are many home schooling websites and parents groups who can help you if you want to go down that road! xx

[Answerprancer]

There was a deliberately flippancy in my short reply Mosaic, it was my way of trying to encourage debate ;-)

[Andyvon]

I've never had children so haven't been too involved in schools since my schooldays.

However, I always understood that the law was specific to parents being required by law to educate their children. Most parents send their children to the local school for convenience and social reasons but parents have always been able to withdraw their children from school - or never send them - as long as they provide alternative tuition. It might be they choose to teach their child themselves or they might provide private tutors. The important point is that the alternative education must meet the guidelines and standards of the local education authority.

This was certainly the case in the 1970s as I never fitted into the school environment and stopped going all together when I was 14. My parents looked at all the alternatives and I'm sure they haven't changed much. It's still the parents' responsibility to educate their child - not the local education authority.